Feeding poultry genetics of today

Renowned scientists from the University of Maryland, Mississippi State University, the Roslin Institute in Scotland and world-leading genetic companies Cobb and Aviagen shared their innovative proposals on feeding the ever-improving genetics in the poultry sector.

 

Dr. Pelayo Casanovas of Cobb Europe, spoke on improving male breeder performance and the quality of the day-old-chick.

 

Cobb’s research has shown that feeding the breeder with essential nutrients such as canthaxanthin (Carophyll® Red) and 25-hydroxy vitamin D3 (Hy?D®) will not only improve hatchability, but will also have a positive impact on the liveability and the quality of the hatched chick.

 

The continuous advances in genetics and the consequent changes in breeder performance were addressed by Dr. Michael Kidd, Mississippi State University.

 

With more than a 1% improvement in feed conversion per year, breeder feed requirements should be carefully reviewed and improved every year; especially in essential nutrients such as vitamins and minerals.

 

Dr. Marc de Beer, Aviagen USA reviewed nutritional strategies to optimize skeletal development in broilers.

 

Adequate levels of amino acids, optimal combinations of minerals and vitamins or the use of vitamin D metabolites were among the strategies commented on by Dr. de Beer to optimize bone development.

 

He highlighted the importance of vitamins and trace minerals’ quality as one of the key factors impacting optimal bone development.

 

Dr. Roselina Angel, University of Maryland, demonstrated how to use the matrix values of the unique pure protease for broilers, Ronozyme® ProAct.

 

Savings between 1 and 3 US$/tonne feed can yield an immediate return to the producer taking into consideration benefit varies according to the feeding phase of the broiler.

 

Dr. Bob Fleming, Roslin Institute, tackled the issue of Black Bone Syndrome, focusing on the physiological reasons behind the problem and nutritional methods to limit its incidence.